BlogF1

The hot topic at the moment appears to be the diet Robert Kubica is currently on. According to his BMW team, Kubica has shed six kilograms over the winter period, a time at which many non-sports-people put on a few extra pounds. This weight-saving has apparently enabled the Pole to go a little quicker, the lighter his body meaning the team can add more ballast to bring the car up to the minimum weight of 605kg. Ballast is preferable over driver weight because it can be positioned in the car more appropriately, improving the overall balance and making the drivers job that little bit easier. Continue Reading

Robert Kubica has claimed his very first pole position, being powered to the front of the grid in his BMW F1.08. Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton weren’t too far behind though, the Ferrari pilot only being 0.027s shy of the Polish drivers pace. Hamilton finished a further 0.18s down in third while Kimi Raikkonen ended his Saturday in fourth in the sister Ferrari. Both Scuderia Toro Rossos suffered a poor showing and could only manage 15th for Sebastien Bourdais and 19th for Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg graced the final session and eventually qualified in eighth. Continue Reading

Over the following four days; today, Friday, Monday and Tuesday, BlogF1 is being handed over to four excellent writers from the field of Formula One blogging. Each writer has submitted a post comparing the team mates from the top four squads, and having read through them, you are all in for a real treat. First up is Clive Allen from F1 Insight. Clive’s blog has become a real treasure to read with well-thought out and explanatory pieces. I’m not ashamed to say I get excited when I see F1 Insight updates in my feed reader.

Today though, Clive is talking about one of his favourite teams, BMW. Take it away my good man… Continue Reading

BMW have to be one of the fastest growing teams on the grid at the moment in terms of overall performance. In 2006 they finished in 5th, improved to 2nd (3rd inc. McLaren) in 2007 and now enter 2008 with a lot of expectations on their shoulders. While BMW finished third in reality last year, can we really expect the squad to improve on this in 2008? With McLaren and Ferrari keeping a firm grip on the top of the grid, it is going to be difficult for the Swiss-German team to break through. They will need a good combination of drivers, car and team to split the front row. It’s not impossible, but I fear BMW will struggle to improve on their current form in the short term. Continue Reading

BMW impressively launched their 2008 challenger this afternoon at the Welt building in Munich, allowing visiting press to speak with the team and drivers about their aspirations for the upcoming season. Team boss Mario Thiessen believes the F1.08 is a large step forward over its predecessor, the F1.07. Meanwhile, Nick Heidfeld is hoping for the teams maiden victory this year and breaking the stranglehold McLaren and Ferrari have over the front of the grid. Continue Reading

Swiss-German team BMW today unveiled their third car to compete in Formula One, named the F1.08 and launched in Munich to the waiting media. The car appears to be a substantial development over last years F1.07 which performed well at the hands of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. Both drivers remain at the helm while test driver Timo Glock (now racing for Toyota) will be replaced, although no name has yet been given. Having finished 2007 in second place behind Ferrari, the team were essentially the third fastest as McLaren were disqualified. However, the squad have been buoyant all winter and expect to be fighting for more podiums and possibly a maiden victory in 2008. Continue Reading

The third and penultimate day of testing commenced earlier this morning at Jerez and by sunset, BMW’s Robert Kubica had the fastest lap. Sharing the circuit with both Schumachers, Robert managed 87 laps and his team mate Nick Heidfeld completed the same amount and finished in tenth. Lewis Hamilton followed Kubica closely in second but Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was only 0.002s shy of the McLaren driver. Mark Webber, Timo Glock and Pedro De La Rosa round out the top six. Continue Reading

By now, most Formula One fans will be well aware that Polish driver Robert Kubica had an almighty accident during yesterdays Canadian Grand Prix, which resulted in medics attending the scene of the crash to help Kubica out of his BMW. The young driver was rushed to the medical centre, and then air lifted to the nearest hospital for checks and x-rays. Initially, it was thought that Kubica was well and even spoke a few words to his manager. But a radio message given to Lewis Hamilton as he crossed the line to take his maiden win suggested Robert had sustained a broken leg. Those reports have now been quashed, with the injury now reported as a sprained ankle. Continue Reading

Following Jarno Trulli down the 180mph back straight at todays Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Robert Kubica’s car caught the rear-right wheel on the Toyota. Kubica’s BMW was launched into the air and off to the right where it narrowly missed a stationery Toro Rosso. The car clipped the barriers and rolled back left across the circuit, again narrowly missing other cars in the process. The BMW clouted the left side barriers hard and eventually came to a rest on the outside area of the hairpin on its side. Continue Reading

I have a certain respect for Nick Heidfeld. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know why, but never-the-less, that small amount of respect is there. He is no faster than any other driver, he is no more intelligent nor does he possess any more charisma or flamboyance than his fellow racers. But each race he turns up, generally keeps his head down and quietly goes about the business of thrashing a Formula One car around a circuit. In many respects, his attitude towards his work is much like my own, and maybe it is because of that I find a small smile creep across my face when the German driver does well.
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